How to Improve Your Chevy Silverado’s Gas Mileage Without Compromising Power

These days pickup trucks are far more fuel efficient than they used to be, but it’s still hard to compete with other body styles in that regard. The capabilities, impressive performance and rugged durability of the Chevy Silverado make it easy to forgive any lack of fuel economy, but many owners may still be curious if there are other ways to enhance its fuel efficiency. There are tons of things you can adjust or tweak to improve your Chevy Silverado’s gas mileage without compromising power, and today we’re here to tell you how.

It might seem trivial, but one of the simplest ways to maintain optimal fuel economy is to keep your Chevy Silverado in tip-top shape. You should be staying on top of regular maintenance whether you want to improve fuel efficiency or not, but ensuring your engine is running as efficiently as it can will certainly help maintain your fuel economy.

• Using the recommended grade of motor oil when you change your oil reduces engine friction to make sure you’re getting the fuel efficiency you should be.
• Having a clean air filter allows your engine to breathe as well as it needs to, which not only promotes smoother performance but reduces fuel consumption.
• If you let your spark plugs get worn out and dirty it can decrease fuel efficiency by causing misfires, so replace them as soon as recommended.

Instead of trivial, this suggestion might just seem obvious, but optimizing your driving habits is perhaps the easiest way to improve your fuel efficiency. There are many things you might do now that are reducing your efficiency without you realizing it, but adjusting the way you drive can eliminate those reductions.

• We’ve probably all fallen into the habit of aggressive driving, particularly if we’re in a bad mood or a big hurry, but rapid acceleration and hard braking consume far more fuel than smooth, gradual driving habits.
• Another way to burn fuel unnecessarily is by leaving your vehicle idling more often than you need to, so turn off the engine if you’re going to be sitting still for more than a minute to avoid wasting fuel.
• Finally, if your Chevy Silverado is equipped with a cruise control function, you’ll want to use it as often as you can to better maintain a consistent speed, which will lead to improved fuel economy.

This one could technically be included in the first section, but we wanted to break it apart because your tires are often one of the most overlooked factors where fuel economy is concerned. Improperly inflated tires can create added resistance, which in turn forces your engine to work harder. If you instead make sure your tires are filled to the recommended PSI levels by checking your tire pressure on a monthly basis, you can maintain better fuel economy. In addition, when it comes time for you to replace your tires, you could consider investing in low rolling resistance tires as they’re designed to reduce the energy loss accompanied by your tires rolling, thus improving fuel efficiency.

Now this one might seem counterintuitive to the purpose of driving a Chevy Silverado, but the less weight on your vehicle the less fuel it needs to consume as you move. We’re not saying you shouldn’t take full advantage of the max payload and towing capacity of your Chevy Silverado when you need it, but rather that you should unload unnecessary items from the cab and bed whenever you don’t need them to get some better mileage on those trips.

Everything we’ve mentioned so far can help you to maintain the best fuel efficiency your factory Silverado is capable of delivering, but if you actually want to improve the gas mileage that your Chevy Silverado can achieve then you could consider aftermarket upgrades. There are all kinds of things that could help, including the following:

• Cold Air Intakes, which allow your engine to pull in cooler, denser air to enhance combustion and efficiency.
• Cat-Back Exhaust Systems, which improve exhaust flow and in turn not only boost your fuel economy but your horsepower, too.
• ECU Tuning, which can optimize the balance of power and efficiency in your Silverado’s engine.

If you have any questions about what we’ve told you here today, or are interested in learning more about these kinds of aftermarket upgrades, don’t hesitate to give us a call right here at the Jim Glover Chevrolet sales desk. We look forward to hearing from you!